The present invention relates to a detachable cup handle adapted for securing to a disposable cup to make it more convenient for carrying by hand. The detachable cup handle provides stability while the cup is held in the hand, prevents heat transfer to the hand of the user, and is reusable.
In hospitals, offices, factories, public facilities, etc., disposable paper or plastic cups are frequently provided for holding drinking water from, for example, a drinking fountain. In order to minimize manufacturing cost and the complexity of the manufacturing process, traditional disposable cups do not have a handle for carrying. A disposable cup with no handle is not suitable for holding hot beverages, because heat is directly transmitted through the thin wall of the cup to the user""s hand, causing discomfort to the user""s hand or even scalding.
Examples of patents directed generally to snap-on or detachable cup holders are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,133,420; 2,029,429; 2,630,244; 5,788,298 and Des. 195,985. All cited patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Desirable properties in a detachable cup handle are ease of attachment and detachment, stability of the cup while drinking, and low cost of manufacture. Detachable cup handles known in the art are deficient in one or more of these properties. In particular, detachable cup handles that are known in the art fail to apply a secure grip to the cup rim to which they are attached, while at the same time allowing for easy detachment and reuse of the cup handle. Furthermore, cup handles known in the art fail to provide adequate support to a cup while it is being lifted and used for drinking. These deficiencies cause a heavy cup of liquid to become unstable and slip while being raised and tilted to the lips of the drinker. As a result, during use of known detachable cup handles, liquid may splash or spill on the drinker, or the cup may be released from the detachable cup handle and drop. Thus, there is a need in the art for detachable cup handles with improved stability in handling heavy cups of liquid while drinking.
A detachable cup handle is provided and is constructed to be conveniently and detachably fastened to a cup to make the cup more convenient for carrying by hand. Accordingly, a consumer can attach the detachable cup handle to the cup, thereby eliminating the need to grasp the cup by the cup body which can obtain high temperatures (or low temperatures) due to the temperature of the medium contained in the cup. The detachable cup handle may be used on cups with or without covers, and is reusable.
According to one embodiment, the detachable cup handle includes a curved hand grip section for holding by the user""s hand, a vertical support section to support the hand grip section, and a retainer section for clamping on a rim of the cup. The detachable cup handle includes additional support and retainer features compared to similar conventional devices. By forming a clamping wall portion of the support section with a tapered wing-shaped construction, additional cup gripping/clamping means is provided to ensure that the detachable cup handle is securely fastened to the cup rim. Advantageously, this ensures that the handle is adapted to carry increased loads within the cup, thereby reducing or entirely eliminating the lack of stability problems that are associated with conventional cup handles. By increasing the overall gripping interface between the detachable cup handle and the cup, the handle is capable of carrying heavier loads (i.e., more volume of liquid in the cup).
Furthermore, the support section includes additional support features for dispersing a load that is applied to the support section during use. In other words, the load is dispersed over a greater area of the cup body. In one embodiment, these additional features are in the form of first and second arcuate support members that extend latitudinally from a vertical support member of the support section. These first and second arcuate support members form a latitudinal cross-bar that cradles the body of the cup. This provides additional support to the handle and disperses the load more effectively when the user raises and tips the cup for drinking. Because the first and second arcuate support members have a complementary shape with respect to the shape of the cup body, these arcuate support members serve to locate the cup relative to the detachable cup handle so that the detachable cup handle securely engages and is fastened to the cup at a predetermined location. The first and second arcuate support members prevent the detachable cup handle from inadvertently slipping or moving during a drinking action. The detachable cup handle is detached from the cup rim by exerting pressure against the clamping wall portion in the direction away from the cup wall. Hence, the detachable cup holder is reusable.
Further aspects and features of the exemplary detachable cup handle disclosed herein can be appreciated from the appended Figures and accompanying written description.